In 2024, the Podorozhnyk pharmacy chain invested about UAH 146.5 million in the energy autonomy of its pharmacies.
According to Interfax-Ukraine, the chain has provided pharmacies with inverters that automatically turn on when there is a power outage. The inverters are connected to the most important lines for the pharmacy’s operation.
“Thanks to the battery, the inverter provides power for several hours. As soon as the power goes back on, the inverter switches back on, and the battery itself is charged until the next use,” said Podorozhnyk.
At the same time, the chain noted that in the event of prolonged power outages, when the battery is discharged, pharmacies can additionally turn on the generator.
“Our generators are powerful and can withstand the lighting of pharmacies and the operation of refrigerators. The refrigerators have two temperature modes that are constantly maintained. Pharmacists measure the temperature every day and record it,” said Podorozhnyk, commenting on the chain’s work in the face of blackouts.
The Podorozhnyk pharmacy chain includes about 1.8 thousand pharmacies throughout Ukraine and employs more than 9 thousand people.
The chain was founded in 1999 in Lviv.
Former Danish Foreign Minister Eppe Kofod has been elected chairman of the Supervisory Board of NPC Ukrenergo, the company reports.
“An independent representative Eppe Kofod became the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, and the state representative Anatoliy Hulei became his deputy,” Ukrenergo said in its Telegram channel.
It is noted that at its first meeting after the appointment on December 12, the SB also created committees on audit, appointment and determination of remuneration, investment and strategy and decided on their heads.
Ukrenergo’s Supervisory Board consists of seven members: four independent members elected through a competitive selection process and three state representatives. The independent members of the SB were approved by the Cabinet of Ministers’ Resolution No. 1168-r of November 26, 2024: Patrick Greichen, who served as State Secretary of the German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection in 2021-2023, Luigi de Francischi, former CEO of TERNA and Enel (already a member of the NPC’s SB), Eppe Kofod, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, and Jan Montell, who has experience as a top manager and board member of a number of Finnish energy companies.
The representatives of the state were approved by the Government Decree No. 1232-r of December 10, 2024. The appointees are: Yuriy Boyko, who headed the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine in 2020-2021, is currently an advisor to the Prime Minister and a member of the previous Supervisory Board of NPC; Oleksiy Nikitin, who previously worked, among other things, at SE NPC Ukrenergo as Head of the Electricity Market Development Department, and then at Ukrhydroenergo as Director of the Commercial Department; Anatoliy Guley – built his career in the banking sector, was Chairman of the Board of Oschadbank and Activ Bank, as well as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Alfa Bank, and is a shareholder of Accordbank.
The National Bank of Ukraine has included Insurance Broker Excelsior Prime LLC in the State Register of Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers, the regulator’s website reports.
It also specifies that this decision was made by the Committee for Supervision and Regulation of Non-Banking Financial Services Markets on December 10, 2024.
According to the Opendatabot website, Excelsior Prime was founded on November 1, 2024, in Kyiv. The founder is Vadym Pronko, who is also the owner of Grand Aget LLC and Hyperion Invest LLC.
The broker’s authorized capital is UAH 100 thousand.
As reported, as of November 1, 2024, 43 brokers were registered in the State Register of Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers.
Net migration to the United Kingdom (the difference between the number of immigrants and emigrants) in the year to June 2023 amounted to a record high of 906 thousand people, according to revised data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Previously, a positive migration balance of 740 thousand people was reported. Among the reasons for the revision, the ONS cites more available data, additional information on visas for Ukrainians, and optimization of the procedure for assessing migration from countries outside the so-called EU+ (EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland).
In the year to June 2024, net migration fell by 20% compared to the revised level of the previous 12 months – to 728 thousand people. The decline is mainly due to a decrease in the number of dependents arriving on study visas.
Precipitation is not expected in most of Ukraine on Saturday, only in the Carpathians there will be light snow during the day, temperatures will drop to 9-14° Celsius at night, 1-6° Celsius during the day; in the south and far west of the country, 3-8° Celsius at night, 2° Celsius to 3° Celsius during the day, the Ukrainian Weather Center reported. There is ice on the roads in some places. Northwest wind with a shift to southwest, 5-10 m/s.
No precipitation in Kyiv on Saturday, December 14. On the roads in some places there is ice. Northwest wind with a shift to southwest, 5-10 m/s. The temperature at night will be around 10° below zero, during the day 3-5° below zero.
According to the Borys Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Observatory. On December 14, the highest daytime temperature was 9.8° in 1950, and the lowest nighttime temperature was -23.4° in 1921.
On Sunday, December 15, there will be light snow, moderate wet snow in the southern and eastern regions, and mostly rain in the south. On the roads of the country in some places there is ice cover.
West, southwest wind, 7-12 m / s; during the day in the western regions gusts of 15-20 m / s. Temperatures at night and during the day will be from 2° below zero to 3° above zero, at night in most regions 1-6° below zero.
In Kyiv on December 15 – light snow, sometimes ice on the roads, westerly, southwesterly wind, 7-12 m/s. The temperature at night will be 2-4° below zero, during the day around 0°.
The Supervisory Board of Ukrzaliznytsia JSC (UZ) has approved the indexation of freight transportation tariffs, the company’s press service reports.
“Tariffs for rail freight transportation have not been indexed for almost two years – since the summer of 2022, and the previous indexation did not bring tariffs to an economically justified level. During this time, the producer price index for industrial products has already reached 176.4%. At the same time, the railroaders proposed to limit the indexation of tariffs to a much more moderate figure: only 37%, or about 13% per annum, given that 2.5 years have passed since the last indexation,” the press service said.
It is noted that the proposals to increase tariffs were approved by the board of UZ on December 5, 2024.
The approved changes will be further submitted for consideration by the Tariff Council under the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, UZ said.
The company reminded that according to the Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1392 of December 16, 2009 “On Ensuring Transparency of the State Tariff Policy for the Transportation of Goods by Rail within Ukraine”, tariffs for the transportation of goods by rail within Ukraine should be indexed annually.
“Unfortunately, this rule was not regularly implemented and the dynamics of indexation of tariffs for rail freight transportation lagged far behind changes in prices for the main resources consumed by the railroad,” UZ said, recalling that tariffs for rail freight transportation had not been indexed for almost two years – since the summer of 2022, and the previous indexation did not bring tariffs to an economically justified level. During this time, the producer price index for industrial products has already reached 176.4%.
Since the last revision of freight transportation tariffs, electricity prices have increased by 166%, diesel prices by 110%, spare parts for diesel locomotives by 217%, spare parts for electric locomotives by 22%, bearings by 37%, and solid-rolled wheels by 20%.
It is noted that this deprived the company of the opportunity to repair infrastructure and rolling stock to the required extent, as well as to index the salaries of railway workers, of whom more than 10 thousand are defending Ukraine in the ranks of the Armed Forces, and to fulfill social obligations to them.
“The indexation of freight transportation tariffs is vital for the Ukrainian railways to operate sustainably and meet safety standards. The level of tariff indexation was calculated to be at least sufficient to finance operating expenses and carry out critical infrastructure repairs,” the press service of Ukrzaliznytsia quoted Hafer Cheetah, chairman of the company’s supervisory board, as saying.
It is reported that the planned indexation will make it possible to finance the repair of rolling stock and infrastructure at the minimum required level. Otherwise, there will be significant risks to the continuity of the safe operation of the state’s critical infrastructure.
Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, Chairman of the Board of Ukrzaliznytsia, promised to openly present and explain to customers the changes in the upcoming freight tariffs.
“We will openly present and explain the indexation proposals to our customers, both the largest and smaller shippers from all sectors of the economy, and will also fix with them what compensations and operational improvements they expect from Ukrzaliznytsia,” the press service quoted the chairman of the board of Ukrzaliznytsia as saying.
He emphasized that the railroad continues to deliver cargo reliably despite daily shelling and is restoring track and power infrastructure as soon as possible to avoid letting customers and the entire Ukrainian economy down.
“At the same time, we owe a significant debt to the railroad workers themselves – their salaries are significantly lower than the industry average, and a number of social benefits have been suspended. Indexation of tariffs is critically necessary to ensure that the working conditions of railway workers do not deteriorate,” Pertsovsky said.
Earlier it was reported that the Tariff Council under the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure (MiRD) approved the draft decision on the unification of tariffs for freight transportation by rail.
As reported, Ukrzaliznytsia and representatives of Ukrainian business are working together to unify the tariff setting system for rail freight transportation proposed by Ukrzaliznytsia starting in October 2022.
Former Ukrzaliznytsia CEO Yevhen Lyashchenko said in an interview that without unification, the company would not be able to end the year with a profit. According to him, the company’s plan for 2024 is not to increase freight tariffs but to harmonize them. This implies a complete change in the model of their calculation by simplifying the tariff system, which consists of five different classes and more than 20 coefficients. The proposals include a single tariff for the transportation of empty wagons and a division into classes linked to transportation technology.
According to preliminary estimates, the harmonization of tariffs should bring the company an additional UAH 3-4 billion by the end of the year, depending on when the government approves this decision.
